Pearl millet: A marginalized solution to climate change adaptation, nutrition and food security challenges in Uganda

Abstract

Pearl millet is an important climate-resilient crop in arid and semi-arid regions of Uganda. Its grains are used mainly for food, brewing, and feed; to a lesser extent, its stover is used as feed for livestock. Pearl millet research in Uganda started in the 1950s. However, over the past half a century, it has stalled and stagnated due to limited funding, insurgences, and human and infrastructural capacity, resulting in the loss of genetic diversity and low on-farm productivity. Pearl millet offers numerous advantages in the face of changing weather patterns and other agricultural constraints in Uganda, which pose significant challenges to agricultural productivity and food security. This review addresses the status of pearl millet research, identifies future prospects, and outlines extension priorities for semi-arid and drought-prone areas in Uganda. It emphasizes the crop's production environments, importance, constraints, nutritional value, health benefits, breeding status, and research priorities. Finally, we discuss pearl millet breeding, research priorities, production strategies, and its potential as a drought-tolerant crop for enhancing nutritional and food security in Uganda.